


Petrichor

by dyobangbang, umbrella_kitty



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kyungsoo can move rocks, Loner Kyungsoo, You and Kyungsoo are picked on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-05 04:13:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14609046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyobangbang/pseuds/dyobangbang, https://archiveofourown.org/users/umbrella_kitty/pseuds/umbrella_kitty
Summary: Behind the deep woods of a small town, there lives a boy named Kyungsoo who can make mountains from his bare hands. He walks with no shoes and lives with his grandmother.And then there's you, a girl living in constant harassment looking for comfort.You'll both meet and find warmth in each other's arms.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there. This is a fic that is being written with my great friend. ♡

  


The school final bell has just rung and you wordlessly pack up your school supplies as fast as you can. You aren’t in a hurry because you are afraid your bus is going to leave you behind but because of the four bullies who will always wait for you near the front gates. You know that if you want to escape with an almost healed heart that it is best if you pack up as quickly as possible and make your exit without being too suspicious. The clock ticks on by, minutes passing and it is only then that you realize you have left your coat behind.

 

You can't help but groan in agitation for being so forgetful. It's only because you are in a hurry of leaving school as soon as possible, really. Sighing heavily, you turn around to run as fast as you can down the almost empty hallways, down the halls and straight to your English Literature class. Huffing out of breath, you momentarily bend down to catch your breath before straightening up again to open the classroom door. Of course, the professor is already long gone and there is no one around. Catching sight of your jacket, you take off to your seat situated at the back of the class.

 

As soon as your hand clasps around the thick, wool material, that is when you hear four voices that cause you to halt in fear. They are getting closer so you hurriedly slide into your coat and get down on your knees to possibly hide from the four students who love to humiliate you in front of everyone and make you look weak and stupid. You don't want them to catch you in here. You don't want them to make fun of you or take your money away. You don't want to be pushed around by the two girls who openly laugh and judge everyone. Your fragile heart can't take the verbal abuse anymore.

 

You look around you in panic, your heart beating very fast the louder their voices get. They probably know you are in here. Someone must have seen you running to this class. Someone must have told them. Luckily for you, your English Literature class is situated on the first floor of the red-brick building. You can't help but smile when you see one of the three windows unlatched and ready to be opened.

 

As quietly as you can, you get up, hurrying up by pushing your hands out to grip the bottom handle of the window to slide it up high enough for you to make your escape but you aren't fast enough it seems because as you are leaving, you hear the voices of Jongdae and Minhee. The anxiousness that settles within you is what pushes you to leave.

 

“Hey loser, get back here!” Sehun, one of the other bullies, yells while his girlfriend Jisu giggles behind the boy.

 

“Aw, the poor kitten is trying to get away!” She fakes being sad, lips forming a small frown.

 

You ignore them, finally escaping from the window just as Jisu jumps out of the window with the other three behind her. They begin chasing you down the small hills leading to the front entrance of the school.

 

You can hear everyone laughing and all the insults being thrown at you. It makes tears well up in your eyes how no one ever bothers defending you.

 

“Get back here, you stupid girl!”

 

You ignore them, flying right past the gates and down the cold streets of the small town you live in. Some older pedestrians see you running with tears rolling down your cheeks but other than that, they do nothing but watch as always. You can hear their footsteps behind you and think right away that you need to hide. Ignoring the verbal calls, you turn a sharp left corner and disappear behind the large pine trees that fill the entire forest covering everything for miles upon miles.

 

You can't hear their taunting calls anymore but still keep running deeper into the dark forest, perhaps even managing to get yourself lost.

 

“Uh…I think I’m lost," you say as you look everywhere. You start walking, trying to find a way back but all the trees look the same.

 

This is a nerve-wracking situation and with shaky hands, you reach for your phone in your school bag. You unlock it but there is no signal. You really messed up this time. You are a magnet for problems but have never gotten lost before. You put your phone in your pocket and sit on a trunk you had found to rest after running so much.

 

“Ah, what do I do? This is bad.” You rest your face on your hands and sigh, the chilly breeze of the upcoming winter passes through your coat. “If I don't find my way then I'm going to freeze to death," you sigh heavily, "there has to be a way out.”

 

You stand up and start walking again to where you think is _where you came from_. It is a peaceful place, there are still some leaves left in the trees and you can hear the birds chirping in the trees. It isn’t that bad but now you are even more lost than before. Suddenly, you hear some noises, a very “ _earthy_ ” one and your heart stops when the earth starts to shake. Certainly, it can't get any worse.

 

“No! What is going on? Why is this happening now?!” You start running while still trying to find your way out when you see someone through the trees. “Finally, someone who can help. Maybe we can get out together! Hey! Excuse me! We have to-”

 

You stop behind a bush when you try to approach the person in an area with no trees because there is a boy around your age with black shaved hair, very intense round eyes with matching furrowed eyebrows and a scar above his right eye. His skin is a bit tanned and it perfectly accentuates his strong jaw. He is biting his plump bottom lip while he has his hand stretched out pointing at some spot on the fallen leaves a few meters in front of him. The earth seems to shake stronger now, more in that area close to him. He is unusually sweating a lot for how cold it is like he is putting a lot of physical effort but he is just sitting on the floor bare with his feet and legs crossed. Suddenly, from the spot, his hand is pointing at, raises a rocky formation, the size of a small car and you let out a loud gasp.

 

The next thing is seeing his free hand directed at you and a wall of rocks showing up in front of you to not let you see him.

 

“Go away and never come back!” He shouts from the other side of the wall with a really deep voice.

 

The wall is tall but not very wide, so you are about to come out of it and yell at him for attacking you, but you are more shocked about the fact that the boy is doing some advanced magic tricks. “Where are the mirrors?” You ask yourself with a scoff, calming down enough to try and talk to him.

 

“Um, I’m lost," you begin, noting that the boy hasn't said anything, so you continue cautiously, "I just need to get out of here. I don’t want to bother you, so just tell me if you know how to get out of here, please,” you say in a worried tone peeking out of the wall.

 

The boy is standing up now, one hand curled up into a fist and the other ready to defend himself.

 

 _Why is he acting this way? I should be the one being that way! What do I do?_ You think mortified, this whole situation has definitely gotten worst.

 

You look more at the handsome boy and notice the blood on his bottom lip as well as some cuts on his hands and feet, and a purple bruise on his right cheek. He is wearing your school’s uniform but you have never seen him before there.

 

Suddenly, you remember that rumor some guys spread at school about _Super Dirt Boy_. Some of the things you heard are that he could smash rocks with his hands, that he lives in a cave made by him and that he bathes in the mud. This all just seems ridiculous and stupid so you don't believe them. They are made up by some punks anyway, but this, this is way bigger than what they all say. They are right about the powers, but this kid seems dangerous. Why is everyone mocking him? They should be scared of him!

 

You groan as you can't seem to find a way out of this situation by just running away. You need his help. Maybe some small talk will calm him.

 

“We…we are from the same school!” You yell, shielding yourself behind the wall, not showing yourself this time.

 

“Great, that’s even better," he grumbles angrily and then says, "go away! I won’t tell you again!”

 

“No, no, please, hear me out. I-I’ve heard of you, there are a lot of rumors about you at school, but…you seem more powerful and stronger than what I’ve heard.” You peek your head out again and see that he is looking down with a gloomy face, but trying to keep his threatening semblance as you speak. You raise your hands and walk sideways out from behind the rocky wall.

 

“See, I don’t want to hurt you. I was being chased by bullies and I ended up here. I’m lost and I just want to go back. Can you help me?” One, two, three slow steps closer to him and he glares at you, making you stop. “Okay, I won’t get closer." You offer him a small smile. "Your name is Kyungsoo, right?, I’m Y/N."

 

His eyes soften a little and he hesitatingly looks at you down and then up. He puts both of his hands in his pockets, turns around and starts walking out of there, still, barefoot.

 

“Don’t leave! Please…”

 

“Follow me!” He shouts from the distance between the trees and you start running to where he is heading, “But don’t get close to me," he says with an annoyed look as soon as you reach him.

 

You step back a meter and walk behind him, keeping your distance.

 

“Do you need help with those bruises? They look bad, I can treat them if you want?” You aren't sure what to say to him but you don't want him as an enemy.

 

But Kyungsoo only turns around to offer you a cold look, hands still in his pants. “I already implied that I don't want you to get close to me.”

 

You hum, shyly looking away in embarrassment. Kyungsoo did say he doesn't want you close to him but watching him walk on broken twigs and sharp rocks made you feel bad. “Sorry, but you didn’t say anything about not helping you. I mean, I won’t even get close to you personally,” you explain yourself, trying your hardest not to stutter because Kyungsoo is staring at you with an unknown look. “I’ll just tend to your feet if you let me, that is,” you mumble the last part more to yourself but of course, Kyungsoo hears you.

 

Kyungsoo sighs heavily, closing his eyes to then open them again. He keeps staring at the way your hair moves with the wind, the straps of your bag sliding off your shoulders, the slight shiver coursing through your body. You look miserable to him but he keeps that information to himself. “How will you treat my injuries if you don’t have any medication?”

 

Your head snaps up as you hurriedly grab your bag to open the medium-sized compartment where you take out a small medical aid kit. “Uh,” you mumble, noticing the way Kyungsoo looks at you in a questionable manner, “the bullies sometimes hurt me so I carry this with me at all times,” you laugh lightly but the boy in front of you only shakes his head in pity and turns around without another word, walking away from you where you stand in place holding the small red box.

 

Is that your heart dropping, into your stomach? You are used to people looking at you with pity but this look is different. This type of look has tears welling up in your eyes but you blink rapidly to will them away.

 

Only when Kyungsoo turns around and finds you still standing in the same spot does he call out for you. “Are you coming, or do you plan on staying where you are?”

 

You shake your head, silently stuffing the box back into your bag before zipping it up and slowly approaching Kyungsoo who regards you with a look when he sees the wetness in your eyes.

 

He swallows and turns around, ignoring the curious questions in his mind. Perhaps he has hurt your feelings but Kyungsoo can't help it because he doesn't want you or anyone else to get close to him. He is a freak, after all. “There’s a little opening just up ahead that leads to the streets. You can leave through there.”

 

You don't even bother uttering a word because you are trying your best not to cry. You only nod your head knowing Kyungsoo won't be able to see you but you don’t care. It isn't like he deserves to hear your voice again. Maybe you should have ignored his existence.

 

“If you’re keeping quiet because you want to cry then don’t even waste your time. If you’re going to cry then just do it already,” Kyungsoo speaks suddenly, stepping over a fallen branch, “why wait until you get home? Do it now.”

 

You exhale a breath as you step over the same branch but not before tripping and falling over only to knock your head against Kyungsoo’s back. Your eyes widen and you take a step back only to trip again and fall on your butt. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” you apologize profusely, bringing your hands up to protect yourself.

 

You hear an amused snort come from above you and uncover yourself only to look up and see Kyungsoo smirking. “It’s not funny,” you grumble in embarrassment, huffing a breath to pick yourself up from the ground only to feel two cold hands grip your own to pull you up. Your breath hitches in your throat when you realize how close you are to Kyungsoo’s chest. The boy smells like wet earth. He smells like rain and late autumn. “You smell like the forest,” you blurt out, immediately regretting it when Kyungsoo lets go of you and turns around.

 

“You’re fine, so let’s go.”

 

"W-Wait," you stutter, biting your lip as you check your hands. They have minor cuts on them but they are bleeding and you don't want them to get infected. "I must have cut my hands when I fell," you mumble, trying to stop your bottom lip from trembling. Now is not the time to cry like a baby. "Do you think you can reach into my bag and give me the medical kit?"

 

You hear Kyungsoo sigh heavily as he turns around to inspect your hands. The way he grabs your hands is in a gentle way which you aren't really expecting from him. After all, he is kind of mean, in a way.

 

"They're not that bad," he says, lightly pressing besides one of the small scratches. "You won't get an infection, so let's just go before the sun goes down and you get eaten by a bear or something." He then shakes his head, huffing a breath as he turns around but never lets go of your hand.

 

Perhaps he notices the way you are staring down at the way he's holding your wrist. "I'm only holding you so you don't get hurt anymore."

 

"Why?" You ask, looking up from the ground to look at Kyungsoo but the boy merely scoffs at you.

 

"Isn't it obvious? I don't want to hide a dead body."

 

Your eyes widen ever so slightly. "You're very morbid, Kyungsoo," you say, taking a look at your surroundings. You have never been in a forest because all types of animals live in them. But looking around, you notice that it isn't as scary except for the eerie silence hanging in the air, and the quiet footsteps of your shoes on the ground and Kyungsoo's feet stepping over the dry leaves.

 

The boy beside you lets out a sarcastic chuckle, "Yeah, which is why I don't have any friends."

 

Kyungsoo's response has you smiling sadly. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't have any friends either."

 

There is no response from Kyungsoo after that, so you keep quiet and follow him through the trees that eventually come to a clearing that reveals the main road as he had said before.

 

Kyungsoo drops your wrist and turns around to head back into the forest but you quickly grab the back of his school uniform, halting him from walking away, any further. "Aren't you going to go home too?"

 

He gives you a blank look that slowly softens up when he sees your face. "Look, instead of carrying that medical kit with you at all times, why don't you defend yourself for once?"

 

You furrow your eyebrows as you take in the bruises that are marring his face. "For what, so I can end up looking like you?"

 

Apparently, it strikes a nerve within Kyungsoo because his gaze becomes cold and guarded. He approaches you, entering your personal space just enough so that your faces are mere inches apart. "Be careful how you run that mouth of yours, little girl."

 

"Or what?" You challenge, keeping yourself rooted where you are. "Are you going to throw one of those rocks at me?"

 

If anything, his gaze becomes even colder. "Don't try to play with me. Now, go the fuck away and don't come back."

 

You sigh in agitation as he begins to walk back into the forest but not before you hurriedly open your bag to take out the medical box. You grab a wad of gauze and disinfectant ointment and throw it at him where it hits his back and falls on the ground.

 

Your breath hitches in your throat when his head turns to look in your direction, steely gaze focused on your scared one. "I-I-I threw some gauze and ointment so you can clean yourself up!"

 

"I don't want your damn help!" He yells at you, seemingly becoming angry that you are still around.

 

"How about you learn to accept help when you need it, huh?"

 

"Because freaks like me don't deserve any help!"

 

Either way, things are going to go your way, not Kyungsoo's, which is how you both end up inside the forest with him sitting on a boulder while you tend to his injured feet.

 

"You're so irritating," he hisses when you dab a cotton ball with alcohol on one of the cuts on his foot.

 

You continue what you are doing as gently as possible. Kyungsoo is angry and annoyed at you and you don't want to further anger him. "And you are stubborn. Just be quiet and accept the fact that I'm going to take care of your injuries."

 

"Why?" He sighs tiredly, hissing again at the sting on the bottom of his foot. "I don't deserve to be cared for."

 

"You do," you say as you bandage up his foot and sit up on your knees to grab another cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide to clean the cut on the eyebrow above his right eye. Blood comes away but you carry on, lightly tapping to clean the cut. "Everyone deserves to be cared for, Kyungsoo," you speak softly, reaching into the box for some cream to apply on Kyungsoo's wound with a cotton swab. "Don't let yourself be guided by what those in school tell you. It's already toxic enough if you're letting yourself become immersed in their insults and lies." You take a step back to check your work, smiling when Kyungsoo looks less agitated.

 

"How can you say that to me when you don't even know who I am?" He asks you, speaking in a low voice as if there is an audience listening in to your conversation.

 

You lean in again only to watch Kyungsoo shut his eyes as you apply a small bandage on the cut on his eyebrow. "I won't answer your question but in time I will," you chirp, wanting to laugh out loud at the annoyed sigh Kyungsoo lets out.

 

"Whatever, I didn't want to know anyway," he grumbles to himself.

 

You can't help but smile.

 

Maybe Kyungsoo isn't as scary as everyone says he is. Maybe all Kyungsoo needs is a friend.

 

That day you make a promise to yourself that you will try your best to become part of Kyungsoo's life, though little did you know, that you have already become a part of it.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
  


The next morning, during breakfast with your parents, you are distracted thanks to a certain boy. While spacing out thinking about him you notice that you forgot to ask Kyungsoo where to find him and you wonder if he will be at the same spot the next day. He doesn’t seem to appreciate your visit so much so you doubt that, maybe you have to ask for his address at school.

 

“Hey, kid!" Your father, a very stern store owner with thick lens glasses shouts and interrupts your thoughts, “Stop spacing out, what are you thinking about? It better be this week’s exam.” He comes back to his pancakes while glaring at you.

 

“Dear, let her eat,” says your mother while pouring orange juice into your glass. She has gentle eyes and hair done in a French braid. She treats you more kindly and always stands up for you when your father yells at you.

 

“Well, she should stop wasting time. Y/N needs to go to school in less than 10 minutes and she’s there staring at nothing. I can’t accept that.” His saggy cheeks shake as he gestures in disagreement. “Are you studying enough for the exam? The neighbor next door told me you came later than usual yesterday, what were you doing?” Your father’s ears are red, meaning he is getting mad and needs an answer right now.

 

“Um, I stayed at school after class." Your father is a very intimidating person but his eyes never stop you from lying. “I asked a friend for help with math so we stayed a few hours more at school.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me? I told you to let me know everything!” Your father yells, hitting the table with his index finger.

 

“Well, you know we can’t use our phones at school, sorry.”

 

Your father lets out a scoff, “I hope that friend is not a boy. You know our three rules: study, no slacking off, and no boys.”

 

“Yes, I know. I-I’m leaving.” You stand up from your chair, grab your bag and head for the door, your plate almost untouched. “Bye!”

 

Your father is furious and stands up making his chair fall, “Get back here!” 

 

You start running and he chases you until he gets to the doorframe entrance. He notices how he is still in his pajamas, and taking care of appearances, steps back and closes the door.

 

You run as fast as you can to the bus stop, right on time to take it and go to school. Your dad is a difficult person to be around with because all he cares about is for you to study and be home to do your chores, so these type of scenes happen often. You are tired of him and run away, you always run from your father. He is a store owner and very known in the town. He always takes care of his appearance and acts like a nice and kind middle-aged man outside but at home, he is more like a full-on angry old man. You sigh thinking when is this going to end.

 

\- - -

 

The first period of the day is long and as you are waiting for recess to look for Kyungsoo, you are still spacing out thinking about in what class he can be and if he is actually there. Anyway, you will get his address whatever it takes.

 

Lunch break is fast for you as you eat hurriedly, finishing quickly to head out to your day’s mission. You look in all the classrooms but he is nowhere to be found and no one wants to give you any information on _Super Dirt Boy_ , so you start working on your plan B which is to ask the school authorities.

 

You head to the teachers' lounge, mentally tracing your plan on getting Kyungsoo’s address. There, you learn that Kyungsoo is a year older than you, in what class he is in and that he has been absent from school since some months ago. His teacher tells you he lives with his grandmother but hasn’t heard from her about his state and why he is not going to class. He guesses it’s because of some bullying issues.

 

He then gives you Kyungsoo’s address and with a smile wishes you good luck. There is no hesitation when giving you that information. It goes easier than you think since the teachers know what he is going through with the bullying he has faced, so he is more than delighted to see someone feeling sympathy for Kyungsoo and actually asking about him.

 

Today, after class you successfully sneak out before the bullies see you and run towards the opposite path you take every day to go to Kyungsoo’s house. Thanks to them you have to walk to the next bus stop because they wander near, and it’s a bit far as if Kyungsoo’s address isn’t far enough already. 

 

An hour later you find yourself in front of his house. It is very old, with a tall brick fence full of ivy and a door gate covering a big front yard. For what you can see through the door, the house looks a bit run down and covered in ivy too. You can see some parts don’t belong on the walls and you guess Kyungsoo has something to do with it. 

 

Without giving it much thought you ring the bell and an old lady opens the door slowly, looking somewhat annoyed at being disturbed. You guess she is Kyungsoo’s grandmother.

 

“Who are you? What do you want?” She shouts from the entrance door. There are around three meters between you both.

 

“Um, I’m Y/N! This is where Kyungsoo lives, right?”

 

“No, go away!” The old lady and Kyungsoo look so much alike, big eyes, small frame and even the way of talking and attitude. 

 

“Please, I’m his friend from school! We just met recently and I wanted to pay him a visit. I swear I have good intentions. Are you his grandmother? It's nice to meet you! I just want to know where can I find him?”

 

His grandmother raises her eyebrows at your question while making a very angry face. “I said get out! Don’t ever come back and stay away from him!” She goes inside and slams the door.

 

You sigh and start to trace another plan because this one backfired. You walk to one side of the house, out of sight of his grandmother and sit on the floor, resting your back against the wall of the house. You don’t dare to go to the forest alone again so you stay there, maybe you can wait for Kyungsoo right in front of his house. He’ll be here any time now.

 

You spend four long hours sitting on the floor outside playing games on your phone at 46º until he comes home from the other side of the road. Kyungsoo looks tired and his face shines under the moonlight. He has his coat on and the bandages on his feet are dirty. His eyebrows rise like his grandmother’s when he sees you sitting on the floor.

 

“You! What are you doing here?” He yells, whispering to you. 

 

“Kyungsoo!" You perk up, lifting your head from the blue screen of your dying phone to look up at Kyungsoo who is watching you with furrowed eyebrows. "I wanted to see you!” 

 

“Shh!" He hisses, placing his index finger in front of his lips, motioning for you to be quiet. "Get up, your lips are blue!"

 

"Th-That's because I've been w-waiting for you for four long h-hours," you stutter as you scramble up to get up from the cold ground. You give Kyungsoo a wobbly smile when he regards you with a blank but worried stare.

 

"Stupid girl, you can get hypothermia in this weather," he hisses again, shaking his head as he steps forward to grab your hands which are frozen and immediately starts to blow hot air into them. "How the hell did you even find my house?"

 

You laugh in embarrassment, chewing on your bottom lip when Kyungsoo gives you an expectant look. "Okay," you sigh in defeat. "I looked for you in school but you weren't there. Then I asked around but no one wanted to tell me anything, so I went to the teacher's lounge to get your information..." you trail off, swallowing heavily when Kyungsoo tugs you to the side, away from one of the windows.

 

"And what? They told you I haven't been to school in months? Told you I was getting bullied?" He shakes his head angrily, heaving out a loud sigh. "Why did you even bother coming back to me when I clearly told you to get lost?"

 

"Because I want to be your friend," you mumble, feeling your blood travel up to settle in your cheeks. 

 

"Y/N," Kyungsoo sighs and then shakes his head, looking around and into the small window that reveals the small living room where no one is present. "What time is it?"

 

You take one of your hands back to grab your phone from your coat pocket. "It's 7:53 PM, why?"

 

Kyungsoo sighs in relief. "Because that means my grandmother is already asleep. Can you keep quiet for five minutes?"

 

You nod your head, though not really understanding. "Yeah, but why?"

 

"Because I'm going to sneak you into my house so don't make a sound or I'll really make sure you get eaten by a bear for being dumb."

 

You huff a breath of annoyance. "You're so mean to me, Kyungsoo," you mumble to yourself as he checks to see if the coast is clear before tugging you towards him to sneak in through the back where there is a back door leading to the kitchen. 

 

"Be quiet for now," he tells you as you both step through some dry looking bushes, steadily making as minimal noise as possible as Kyungsoo leads you to an old dirty door. 

 

It makes you frown at the condition Kyungsoo and his grandmother live in. You wish you can help but you don’t know how and you are sure Kyungsoo will deny any sort of help from you or anyone else. 

 

"Come on, through here," Kyungsoo motions for you to keep still while he takes hold of the door handle to turn it very slowly, making sure not to make any loud noises. The door opens silently as Kyungsoo wants it to and he turns his head to give you a look, nodding his head forward for you to move into the warm house.

 

You step inside but are unable to let your curious eyes wander around because there is a sudden warm hand covering your mouth and pushing you behind a kitchen shelf to which you make no sound of protest. You only let Kyungsoo manhandle you to hide you away for a few minutes. 

 

"Wait here, okay? Don't move," he says, more like he demands as he walks away further into the silent house. 

 

You try to calm your breathing, opting to breathe through your mouth instead to lessen the harsh sounds escaping your lungs. You honestly feel like you had run a marathon and you aren’t sure if it is because you are inside Kyungsoo's house, or because of the way he blew hot air onto your hands to warm them up, or because your phone is dying and have no way of communicating with your mother. 

 

About a minute later, Kyungsoo comes back to get you. His eyes are rather dark due to the scarce light source inside his home. He nods his head, though he never offers you a smile, he does grab your hand again before leading you down a series of dark hallways until you both end up at the back of the house where there is a brick wall separating this room from the rest. 

 

Kyungsoo turns the doorknob and pushes open the door to his bedroom just to place his hand on the middle of your back to gently push you inside and then shut the door behind him, locking it just in case. He switches on the light.

 

You sigh in relief, inhaling and exhaling heavily and take in what Kyungsoo's room looks like. It isn’t messy at all. It doesn’t really look like he lives in it, actually. There is a dark brown dresser situated at the corner of the room with only a black textbook in the middle of it. There is a full-sized bed neatly made at the other corner of the room dressed in an olive-green comforter with light gray bed sheets. You can hear Kyungsoo walk past you as he heads into his closet which you hadn't seen because it is behind you tucked in the corner. Everything, you have noticed, is placed in the corner of the room. Everything except for the giant window built directly in the middle of Kyungsoo's bedroom where the light of the moon rains down upon you both.

 

"Do you even live in this room?" You ask quietly, turning around only to gasp when you see a shirtless Kyungsoo reaching out to grasp a white shirt from one of the hangers.

 

He turns his head, dark eyes widening a little bit when he catches you staring at his body. "Stop staring and go sit on my bed."

 

You clear your throat in embarrassment and do as you are told, walking away from Kyungsoo to sit on his bed. Obviously, Kyungsoo ignores your question. The bed makes no noise which you are grateful for but you can still hear the sound of clothes rustling as Kyungsoo changes out of his dirty clothes. Instead of sitting there staring at nothing, you choose to turn your head and direct your gaze out the window.

 

Nothing but a vast forest, star-speckled sky, and graceful moon waits for you. How pretty, you think, smiling as you try to count the little white dots resting in the sky. 

 

"Here," you hear Kyungsoo say to you.

 

You let your eyes make their way over to him. He is now dressed in a white shirt and black sweatpants. Obviously, his feet are still bare and his bandages are dirty. This boy ought to take more care of himself. "Yes?"

 

"Put on this sweater," he mumbles, handing you a cozy mango-colored jumper that has the words _LONELY_ embroidered on it.

 

You give the sweater a sad smile but still reach out to take off your coat that had gotten damp due to the cold weather outside and look away from Kyungsoo as you slide it over your head, smoothening it so that it sits snugly and comfortably. "Thank you, Kyungsoo," you mumble shyly, letting the sleeves cover your still cold fingers, "and I'm sorry for being so nosey and coming over to your house without your permission, but I just really wanted to see you again."

 

The sound of feet stepping over the cold floor brings some sort of comfort to you. Then you feel the bed shift when Kyungsoo sits down beside you, sighing heavily, quietly, leaning forward to slide his hands through his rapidly growing hair. "Look, you're really stubborn, Y/N. You don't do as I say which is really fucking irritating but I guess it's, uh, nice to have you around..." he trails off, tugging on his hair in either anger or embarrassment, "shit, I'm not one to be thanking anyone because everyone in this damn town thinks I'm some type of witch all because I can make the Earth rumble, but you, you're different from everyone and," he sighs again, lifting his head from his hands to give you a look, "uh, well, um..." he trails off again, looking away from you because he doesn’t want you to see the redness now settling on his cheeks.

 

You really want to place your hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder to help him relax but you also know somewhere in your mind that the older boy isn’t used to being treated nicely. You understand that but still, want to. In the end, you end up turning your body to face him, placing your hand on his own just to test the waters. When you see that Kyungsoo doesn’t push you away, you grasp his warm hand in your slightly cold one. "Just say it already," you huff, shaking your head.

 

Kyungsoo scoffs at you, rolling his eyes and then becoming silent once more. He inhales, exhaling only to say, "Thank you for giving me a chance, Y/N. It, uh, really means a lot to me."

 

"See," you say, only to stop you from screaming out loud because this means that Kyungsoo actually considers you as a friend to him, "that wasn't so hard now, was it?" You tease, giggling quietly when the boy beside you sneers in annoyance.

 

"Where are the bears when you need them?" He mumbles loud enough for you to hear him.

 

"You're so mean to me, but anyway, you need to change your bandages or start wearing some shoes for one," you scold him like you wanted to back when he found you. You are keeping quiet seeing as Kyungsoo's grandmother is asleep somewhere in the house. You don’t want her to find you here with her grandson. That will be asking for a death wish which you don’t want.

 

"Wearing shoes don’t let me feel the Earth beneath me, so no."

 

"Wear them or you're going to get an infection and get sick and die. I don't want to hide a dead body, Kyungsoo."

 

Kyungsoo actually laughs when you say that. His eyes scrunch up and he doubles over in laughter, making sure to be quiet as well. "What are you, my mother?"

 

You tighten your hand around his. "No, I'm just showing that I care about you."

 

You feel your heart grow an inch when his eyebrows rise and his cheeks flush again. You clear your throat to speak again, “Um, let me help you clean them up.” You stand up after letting go of his hand. 

 

His aura seems more relaxed but you can still feel some distrust. 

 

“I have some bandages with me because I thought you would need them,” you say, sitting on the floor in front of him while rummaging through your backpack. You find your first medical kit and start to tend his feet again. 

 

You look up and find that Kyungsoo has his eyes fixed on you, blank face, lightly furrowed brows and pursed lips making it hard to understand what he is trying to do. He looks at your face attentively. 

 

“What?”

 

“Your face…is very gentle when you are treating my wounds,” even though Kyungsoo seems like a very quiet person, he voices his thoughts just to feel mortified after noticing what he has said, tugging his hair like before. 

 

You laugh while undoing his bandages, “Well, I already told you I care about you. I bet your grandmother does the same face when she takes care of you,” you say, smiling at him.

 

“Yes, but I’m not used to other people’s kindness, so thank you,” he mumbles most of his words but you still understand, making the warmness in your heart increase.

 

“By the way, Y/N, you didn’t see my grandmother, right?”

 

“Um, would it be a problem if I did?” A bad feeling comes to you as Kyungsoo speaks. You are already putting on the new bandages.

 

Kyungsoo starts massaging his temples with his middle fingers, a sign that shows he is getting stressed. “Please don’t tell me you told her I skipped school.”

 

“Not exactly?” You look everywhere trying to come up with an answer he can take nicely. “I told her I was looking for you, that I wanted to pay you a visit,” you trail off noticing Kyungsoo getting tense which you can see while bandaging his foot.

 

“After school?! You were going to pay me a visit right after school?!” He tries to keep his voice down. His eyes are wide, “You clearly told her I wasn’t at school!” He stands up to sit on the other side of the bed, fist clenched and bandage still undid.

 

“Uh…I-I’m sorry, I thought she knew.” You feel embarrassed and angry at yourself for always causing trouble.

 

“She knew but I told her two weeks ago that I would start going again but I never did and now I’m screwed. She’s gonna hit me with a plank or something,” he sighs heavily, and then says, “you’re such a troublemaker.” He falls backward on the mattress, tugging at his hair again. 

 

You are still in the same spot on the floor.

 

“I’m sorry. I was so busy looking for you that I didn’t consider that.” Your eyes are watery and you blink fast to try to suck in the tears.

 

“On top of that, she’ll give me a lecture about people,” he whispers to himself. 

 

You can see how he places his hands on his hair to his face to cover it. He looks defeated.

 

“Why is it so bad?”

 

“I’m not supposed to make friends or be with people. I’m dangerous and people try to hurt me because of that.”

 

“But not everyone is like that!”

 

“Yeah yeah, why don’t you try being a freak like me?” Kyungsoo sighs, clearly agitated and upset. 

 

You feel sad for him because you have witnessed all the rumors and mocking for a long time. He is right actually because a lot of people want to hurt him anyway.

 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize quietly. 

 

“It’s okay. What’s done is done,” he waves his hand at you in a dismissive way and says, “you should just keep your mouth shut next time,” Kyungsoo sighs, turning his head to look at you on the floor.  “Look, don’t talk to my grandmother again. Don’t ever tell her we know each other. She only wants me to go to school but doesn’t want me to have friends because people are really bad, and not just because she told me but because I’ve gone through that. I don’t even like people and I want to keep it that way.”

 

“Does that include me?” You ask under your breath, your throat feeling tight.

 

“Well, I can’t get rid of you now.” 

 

Well, that hurt. You can now admit to yourself that Kyungsoo still doesn’t feel completely comfortable with you, but you can’t admit defeat.

 

“I want to help you, so let me change that.” You rise from the floor and kneel to rest your arms on the edge of the bed. “Let me talk to your grandmother, Kyungsoo. I’ll convince her and I’ll show her I’m not bad. I’ll help you go back to school. I’ll be with you and protect you!”

 

“What are you talking about? Let’s go to sleep. You'll sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep there,” Kyungsoo points to a corner of his room and stands up from his bed, walking to his closet to grab a sleeping bag for him to sleep in. He seems to be annoyed and tired. “We have to wake up early so you can go home."

 

“But…ugh, really? Don't you think I’m capable of helping you? I don’t have ill intentions.”

 

“No, but you’re being super irritating again. Look, I can protect myself and I’m fine this way. Now, go to sleep.” Kyungsoo unrolls his sleeping bag in front of the dresser on the corner of his room and turns off the lights.

 

“Why don’t you come to the bed and I sleep in the sleeping bag? I’m not comfortable letting you sleep there.”

 

“Well, I’m more comfortable here on the floor. Good night.” He tucks himself inside the sleeping bag and closes his eyes.

 

There is nothing to do, so you have to stay in the bed then. You are ready to sleep but now that there is complete silence, your mind starts to wander, stopping on your dad and how he is probably looking for you, knocking on every door in the town and annoying the police to find you. You think about how he is going to lose it when he sees you in the morning and the things he will do to you.

 

The last time when you sneaked out from your aunt’s birthday party, he slapped your face so hard, half of your face was purple for three weeks. Fear creeps to your head and your heart starts to beat really fast. Sweat is pouring out of your pores and you sit up to start working on a plan. 

 

You approach Kyungsoo and wake him up. He seems to be a light sleeper since he wakes up as soon as you call for him. “Is something wrong?” Asks Kyungsoo, sitting up with a look of confusion.

 

“I need to get out. My dad…my dad is going to kill me. I need to get back home as soon as I can,” the more you talk, the heavier your breathing gets. In this scenario, you are very scared of your dad. “Do you have a bike or something? I really, really need to go home! Right now!”

 

You both make your way to the front door, very careful not to wake up Kyungsoo’s grandmother. You pull off the jumper he had given you back, in his room to keep warm and fold it neatly, giving it back to him to put on your coat instead. You are ready to ride his old bike.

 

Kyungsoo has a weird expression on his face like he is concerned but is trying to hide it.

 

“Where can I see you tomorrow?” You ask, blushing a little.

 

Kyungsoo hesitates a bit before answering, “Behind my house, there’s a spot where you can see an entrance to the forest some meters away. Walk and meet me there.”

 

“Okay, bye Kyungsoo.” 

 

“Bye, bring me my bike back tomorrow!”

 

You move your feet and in the blink of an eye, you are far from him. In the half an hour that lasted your ride, you think about a bunch of choices for lies to tell your dad. It is already 10:30 PM and you were supposed to be at home by 3:00 PM, so “I got lost in the forest because of bullies,” seems nice.

 

You arrive home and hide the bike behind some bushes nearby and step up to the entrance feeling confident about facing your dad.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for slight domestic abuse at the beginning.

  
  


The lights inside of your house are on when you first step in through the foyer as quietly as you can, looking around the front entrance for any sign of either of your parents. You feel like a criminal who is breaking and entering to rob a house except that your father will end up being the police who is going to grab you and punish you. Noticing that neither your mother or father comes to get you, you deem it will be safe to run to your bedroom as quietly as you can.

 

You really think you are safe until a hand grabs the back of your hair, tugging you back against a sturdy chest. You whimper in pain, tears springing to your eyes.

 

“Where have you been?” Your father asks in a gruff voice, stepping out of the dark kitchen to turn you around and push you up against the living room wall.

 

Your breath hitches in your throat, heart beating way too fast for it to be normal. You are terrified and really wish you were with Kyungsoo right now even if he won’t offer you any sort of comfort. “I…I…,” you stutter, blinking your tears away as you try to wipe your tears away but your father slaps your hand away. “I was chased by some bullies a-and hid in the f-forest, father,” you hiccup, wanting to get away from the burly man in front of you but the grip on your hair only tightens enough to make you cry out.

 

“A sixteen-year-old girl is getting bullied at this age? Lies!” Your father yells, bringing his hand up to slap you across the face hard enough for your bottom lip to split open and bleed. “Don’t lie to me girl!” He then throws you to the floor where you bring your hands up to protect your head from any more hits.

 

“I’m not lying, f-father!” You cry, sobbing like a child while you cup your bruised cheek.

 

Your father kneels down then, harshly slapping your hands away to grip the front of your shirt. “If you dare come to this house late one more damn time, I’ll throw you out and you’ll not be welcomed here anymore!” He then releases you, but not before tugging you up to pull you off of the floor and throw you into your room where you fall against your dresser, scratching your left cheek with the corner of the wood. “I better not see you in the morning or you won’t live to see another day.”

 

The door slams shut after that, hard enough to resonate around the entire house. You wonder where your mother is but she is probably hiding in her bedroom like the coward she is.

 

You cry into your hands, sobbing quietly at the immense pain coming from your face. How are you going to show up with cuts on your face to class tomorrow? You are going to become the laughing stock of the entire school. But who are you kidding if you are already the number one target now that Kyungsoo has stopped attending classes?

 

You pick yourself up to stumble into your bathroom where you take a shower and then address your injuries, put on your pajamas and put your phone to charge. You look at the home screen of your phone that has the mountains and starry background behind it. If only you can live in the sky instead of this hell of a house, you will be happy. You sigh shakily, setting an alarm to wake up at four to be out of the house by five in the morning and get into bed where you cry yourself to sleep.

 

\- - -

 

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

 

Your alarm begins to ring at exactly four in the morning. You turn it off quickly and get up to put on your school uniform, opting to wear black, skinny-jeans today and a charcoal gray hoodie over your uniform knowing the school won’t mind because of the cold outside. You brush your fingers through your hair to untangle some knots and brush your teeth. Today, you decide to wear a tiny amount of makeup just to hide the bruises from the public eye and also because you are going to see Kyungsoo today.

 

A bit of pink lip balm and you are good to go with your yellow book bag and navy blue coat. While you are at it, you put in an extra set of clothes inside just in case a problem arises.

 

It is still dark outside when you leave your house. Luckily, Kyungsoo’s bike is still hidden in the bushes where you left it the night before so you grab it and silently make your way to school.

 

\- - -

 

Attending to school where almost the entire school body ignores you feels like a dream come true for you this morning. You don’t want anyone to be bothering you in class, in the halls, the lunchroom, or outside of school grounds. Today, you want to be left alone so that you can suffer alone inside of your head.

 

While jotting down notes for the last class of the day, you keep to yourself, being extra quiet to the point that you have become invisible in your seat. No one bothers making fun of you today because some students can see the bruises below your right eye, the cut on your left cheek and your busted lip.

 

They might feel bad or that is just you imagining things to make yourself feel a little better about yourself. Still, you know they feel anything but bad about you. In fact, no one cares about you.

 

As soon as the bell rings signaling the end of the day, you gather your notebook and pencil to put it back inside your pencil case and tuck it back into your book bag. In front of the class on the dry erase board is a project where the student has to write an essay on a person who they look up to. Someone that really touches them in a way that others don’t. Someone they find comfort in and someone they love.

 

You frown at the choice of topic because you don’t look up to anyone. Sure, you have your mother but she isn’t someone you want to become. Still, you are going to try your best. Maybe someone will come along.

 

\- - -

 

Riding the borrowed bike to Kyungsoo's house is anything but entertaining. Nothing in sight seems to burn bright with light. Everything is dull and gray, especially the sky. You sigh as Kyungsoo's house finally comes into your line of sight.

 

"Okay, let's not get chased out by his scary grandma," you mumble to yourself as you hop off of the bike, holding it by the handles to sneak your way past the windows just in case the elderly woman is looking out.

 

Beside the house, there are some bushes to which you quickly make your way toward them to lean Kyungsoo's bike against the wall of the house and then sneak away from his place to approach the woods where Kyungsoo had said the night before that there is an entrance.

 

Somewhere in between two tall pine trees, you see Kyungsoo sitting with his back against another smaller looking tree. You quietly approach the boy who seems to have his eyes closed as if concentrating on something in front of him. You then see him lift up his left hand and feel the ground beneath your feet rise up from the ground and move towards him.

 

You probably should have let out a sound of surprise, but you are still feeling numb from last night and only crouch down so that you won’t fall off and cause another accident.

 

Kyungsoo puts his hand down to bring you to a stop beside him and then opens his eyes to look at you, only to widen his eyes at the sight of your face. He frowns, sighing heavily. "Bullies again? I told you to start defending yourself."

 

You are still crouching but decide to sit down instead to stare at a broken twig beside Kyungsoo's feet. You don’t say anything to him.

 

"Y/N, are you listening? You can't keep letting yourself get hit by those stupid kids," he sighs, picking up a leaf to crush it in his hand. He then takes notice that you aren’t speaking and that you are staring at the ground with no emotion on your face. "Hey," he calls, tilting his head to the side, but you don’t even move. "Y/N," he calls your name but you are in a daze.

 

The touch on your cold hand brings your eyes to your hand where Kyungsoo is touching it to get your attention. You lift your eyes to now focus on his brown ones. "I can't defend myself if it's my father."

 

"What?"

 

"He slapped me yesterday and pulled on my hair. He's going to kill me one day and you know what?" You give Kyungsoo a broken smile, tearing up. "I won't mind all that much."

 

"Y/N, wait, hold on," Kyungsoo speaks, shaking his head but you shake yours, leaning back to rest your back against the tree and eventually, rest your head on Kyungsoo's shoulder.

 

"It's okay. No one cares about me anyway," you whisper, sighing shakily as you begin to cry.

 

"I care about you..." you hear Kyungsoo say, but you laugh with no emotion.

 

"No, you don't, Kyungsoo," you sniffle, smiling at the lie. “You are mean to me always while I try my best to be a friend but all you do is push me away because you don't know any better," you sigh, shaking your head as you pull away from Kyungsoo, turning your head away because you are feeling awful.

 

You feel him grab the back of your coat but you push his hand away, still crying quietly and leave him there by himself.

 

"Where are you going, Y/N?" Kyungsoo asks, standing up to follow you as you walk around further into the forest.

 

"Somewhere where people will actually care about me, Kyungsoo,” you mumble loud enough for the boy behind you to hear you clearly.

 

“Y/N,” Kyungsoo calls for you again, stepping forward far enough to grab the back of your coat to turn you around but you push him away, hiccuping because you can’t stop crying.

 

“Leave me alone!”

 

Kyungsoo shakes your shoulders, wrapping his arms around you to bring you close and hold you to his chest, keeping his right hand in the middle of your back and wrapping his left arm around your waist. “Not until you listen to me!” Kyungsoo yells, keeping you in place as you become still in his arms, hiding your face in his neck. “You might not have someone to be there for you right now but I’m here.”

 

“B-But you want me g-gone,” you stutter, blinking your tears away, bringing your hands up to grip onto Kyungsoo’s black coat. “You only t-tolerate m-me because I keep coming back to y-you...”

 

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you because I do, okay?” Kyungsoo whispers, his hold on you becoming tighter, “If you die I’ll care about it, so please, please don’t say those words anymore.”

 

Is this real life or are you dreaming? Kyungsoo holding you and comforting you? Telling you to stay and not to leave? Surely, you must be asleep. But as you quieten down until you are breathing shakily only, that is when you feel Kyungsoo picking you up so that he can sit down on the forest floor and you can rest on his lap while you calm down.

 

Or perhaps it is a dream and the warm breath beside your bruised cheek and the tender kiss placed upon it is also a broken piece of a distant dream you once had.

 

\- - -

 

Everything looks hazy and feels confusing. You look at Kyungsoo’s clear eyes and realize you are not in a dream. Your chest tightens and this overwhelming moment makes you cry even more. You look down and suddenly Kyungsoo’s warm touch embraces your cheeks followed by soft lips crashing into yours in an attempt to calm you down, making your lip sting.

 

Like a spell, you start feeling your tummy fill, with fluttering butterflies. You imagined your first kiss to happen in a very different situation like after a date or maybe hiding in the school grounds, but you can’t complain, since you like Kyungsoo very much. The moment seems magical until you feel a painful pressure on your face. “Kyungsoo!” You get scared and push yourself off from Kyungsoo’s lap, falling on your butt, cutting the kiss off. “Are you going to hurt me too? What’s wrong with you?!”

 

“I’m sorry! I’m quite strong. I can’t control it sometimes,” Kyungsoo kneels in front of you with a seriously concerned look. “It wasn’t on purpose. Are you hurt?”

 

You look at his eyes again, he means it. “I’m fine...it’s okay.” You are very embarrassed actually. You got scared and it really hurt but your mind only thought about the kiss. You rub your cheeks and cover your face to hide your furious blush.

 

“You’re not crying anymore,” Kyungsoo states as he gets closer to you and takes your hands in his.

 

You flinch when he uncovers your wet face, your makeup now gone. You hesitantly look at him through the teardrops trapped on your eyelashes, making Kyungsoo who is smiling and wearing a faint blush on his cheeks and ears look extra adorable and dreamy. The pain is long forgotten like Kyungsoo’s stern demeanor.

 

“Y/N, I understand your feelings. Being hurt and not feeling wanted is unbearable, but I’m here. I’ll be here for you. I’ll help you heal. I trust you and I want you to trust me,” Kyungsoo is still holding your hands, even though the autumn weather is freezing, he is always warm. “I’m sorry for not treating you good. I can be an asshole sometimes and I didn’t know you, actually, I’m still unsure about this but I can’t leave you alone now.”

 

You lower your head to look down to the broken leaves and tree branches. “Thank you,” you say almost in a whisper. You still have a lot of things to say to him but you are still shaken by what just happened.

 

“Last night you said your father was going to kill you...it has something to do with this, right?” Kyungsoo lets go of your hands to caress your bruised eye with his thumb. “Tsk, I should have gone with you,” he mutters angrily.

 

You hear him perfectly but act like you hadn’t. You wish he can go and smash your dad’s head with a rock but you also don’t want Kyungsoo to get involved since everything is your fault anyway. “It’s okay. I do stuff that pisses him off. I pretend not to care and then I face the consequences.”

 

“Y/N, I don’t fucking care if you’re wrong, he shouldn’t hit you!”

 

“He doesn’t do it every day anyway.” You let go of Kyungsoo and lean back on the ground making the leaves crunch loudly under your back. The forest is so quiet, almost unreal. “You know, he’s friends with everyone in the town, even the police. He’s known as a really kind person. No one is going to believe me and even if I get rid of him, my mother and I will be in trouble because everything is in his family’s name. Nothing will be given to us. We’ll be in the streets, so, we need him. I should just behave but I’m so tired.” Your face turns gloomy again. The kiss is completely dismissed at this point and you can only think about how much you want to disappear.

 

“Let’s skip school tomorrow,” Kyungsoo blurts. He seems like a calculated person but in reality, he is a bit careless when he talks.

 

“Tell me more,” you sit up again in front of him. His expression is as unreadable as ever and he is clenching his jaw hard. This idea doesn’t seem so bad though, you need a break from the rest of people.

 

“Look, you’ll have to go back home today. Go right now if it’s possible. I’ll pick you up at midnight and we’ll spend the day together then you’ll go home like nothing happened. Would you like that?”

 

That is an even better plan than just skipping school. You’ve never done that before because you kind of cared about your grades but your current position has you too overwhelmed to go back to reality. You want to be with Kyungsoo and create good memories. He turns into your escape from this suffocating world.

 

You accept the offer trusting in Kyungsoo. You write your address on a piece of paper from your school bag and he walks you to the bus stop.

 

Even though you spend some time outside after school, you make it early enough, and luckily, the neighbor isn’t home to snitch. You enter your house and find that it is empty. Your dad is at work and your mom is who knows where. She is a housewife but is never home until 6 PM. Maybe she feels as trapped as you d and leaves the house to breathe. You don’t care where she is as long as she comes back.

 

You head to your room and go straight to your bed. There, you lie down looking at the ceiling. It has been a few days since you met Kyungsoo and he has already done a 360 turn in your heart. The kiss is the cherry on top. It won’t be easy to let him go now.

 

It might have bothered you that Kyungsoo doesn’t act like that kiss is a big deal, and maybe it isn’t for him, but you have feelings for him, strong feelings. You aren’t scared of him, nor do you think he has done anything wrong like the kids at school had said. Kyungsoo has been hiding from everyone because of that and it breaks your heart. How can someone as special and kind of him be so un-welcomed? You want to hug him and be with him.

 

A tear rolls down your cheek, all of this is really sad. Kyungsoo’s situation and how your father treats you. You quickly wipe it away and sit up. You have cried enough today. _Now is not the time_ , you say to yourself. You should be preparing for tonight. You change into your pajamas to not raise suspicions. You walk into your bathroom and clean your face, uncovering completely every bruise your father left on your skin.

 

The rest of the afternoon you keep yourself in your room trying to rest.

 

It is 6:15 PM and your mother has just arrived home. She knocks on your door and opens it.

 

“Y/N, how are you?” She asks from the doorframe, looking at you with pity. On her right shoulder hangs a big bag full of groceries and a cardboard box on her left hand decorated with the drawing of a pastry.

 

“Not as bad as my face.”

 

She starts walking to your bed and sits there. “I’m really sorry, you know I can’t control your father.”

 

You sit on the bed beside her.

 

She caresses your cheek, her touch is cold from being outside but it feels healing. “You...you’ve been very strong. You’re a good girl, sweetie. Don’t let your father make you think the opposite. I’m very proud of you and it’s okay to not be perfect, but here...we’ll have to make an effort, okay?”

 

“Yes, mom.”

 

“You know, I bought two slices of cake, only for us,” she says with a big comforting smile. Your mom is always like this to you, especially after an argument with your father.

 

You can tell it was out of guilt for not protecting you enough. She will make it up to you and apologize somehow. You resent her and you do think she is a coward but you are both in the same boat anyway.

 

“Let’s eat them quickly before your father finds out, okay? Then help me with dinner so he doesn’t get mad.”

 

You eat the cakes and rip the box into pieces, then throw them in your trash bin, all so he won’t find out your mom has been indulging you and wasted money on shit.

 

Your father comes home for dinner. He doesn’t talk to you all night so everything is calm. Your parents go to sleep at their usual time, 10:00 PM. That is your cue to start preparing. You don’t know where you will go or if you will stay at his place but you still wear your thickest scarf and warmest coat because at night the cold is unbearable. You also take some snacks you smuggle from the kitchen and pack them with the change of clothes you had picked in the morning. You are all dressed waiting for Kyungsoo.

 

Your heart is beating really fast when you hear a light tap hitting your window. You hurriedly look down and there is Kyungsoo waving his hand.

 

By midnight your parents are too asleep to hear you get out of the front door. Kyungsoo is waiting for you with his bike. There is a backpack inside the basket attached to the front and an oil lamp hanging from the handlebar. You look at each other smiling and without saying anything, he points to the back rack and you hop on the bike and silently ride away.

 

You are hugging Kyungsoo from behind so you won’t fall off. The road is dark with just a few lamp posts turned on. The town is a bit small and humble so electricity doesn’t work at its best. This makes a great opportunity to appreciate the starry sky which you can’t see well because of the cold breeze hitting your eyes and nose. You start to tear up because of that and seeing as you carelessly packed your scarf inside your bag, you press your face against Kyungsoo’s back. He has his coat on so it feels soft on your skin. His body heat helps to keep you warm and your nose feels better as it is starting to get runny.

 

The night is quiet and dark, with only the rustling sound of moving trees joining the squeak of Kyungsoo’s old rusty bike.

 

You close your eyes, drowning in peace.

 

About twenty minutes later, Kyungsoo brakes the silence and says, “We are going to the forest. We’ll be there soon, okay?”

 

“Okay,” you reply while smiling, still with your eyes closed.

 

“Are you okay back there?”

 

“Yes, very much,” you snuggle more into his back and then look up only to catch a glimpse of his flushed ears.

 

Kyungsoo keeps silent for the rest of the ride.

 

 

 


End file.
